Rimske Toplice (Šmarjeta) - Kopitnik (via Lurd)

Access to starting point:
A) From the highway Ljubljana - Maribor, we take the Celje - center exit, then continue driving towards Laško and later Rimske Toplice. At the beginning of the place Rimske Toplice, we turn right towards Hrastnik, but we drive on the main road towards Hrastnik only about 50 m, then turn left onto a local road, along which we quickly arrive at the nearby cemetery, by which we park on a marked parking lot.
B) From Zasavje, we first drive to Hrastnik, then continue driving towards Celje. When we arrive in Rimske Toplice, we will be only 50 m before the main intersection, where the road joins the main road Celje - Zidani Most, turn right onto a local road, along which we quickly arrive at the nearby cemetery, by which we park on a marked parking lot.
C) From the direction of Posavje, we first drive to Zidani Most, then continue driving towards Celje. When we arrive in Rimske Toplice, we pay attention, as at the end of the place a road will branch off to the left that leads towards Hrastnik. We direct ourselves onto the mentioned road, but we drive on it only about 50 m, then turn left onto a local road, along which we quickly arrive at the nearby cemetery, by which we park on a marked parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot by the cemetery, we continue along the road towards the south. Already after some 10 m, the priority road turns left, and we continue straight towards Lurd. We continue along a somewhat narrower road, and during walking on the right side we can clearly see all the time the church of the Holy Mother of God in Ogeče (Lurd), past which the path will lead us higher.
At the next intersection, we continue slightly left, then only a few steps further at the chapel right upwards. Here we quickly arrive at a smaller triangular intersection, by which there are numerous hiking signposts. We continue right in the direction of Kopitnik and Lurd and continue the ascent along the asphalt road, which ascends transversely towards the right. Higher the settlement ends, and the road enters the forest. Here another path from Šmarjeta joins us from the right, the road turns even somewhat more to the right and brings us to the church of the Holy Mother of God (Lurd).
Just a little above the church, we leave the asphalt road and continue left in the direction of Kopitnik. From the road, the path first ascends steeply, then levels out and crosses a short relatively steep slope. The slope quickly levels out, and the path brings us from the forest to the edge of a hay meadow, where it turns left to an abandoned house. On the other side of the house, we arrive at a smaller intersection, where we continue straight in the direction of Kopitnik. We walk along the road only a few minutes, then the blazes direct us slightly right onto a marked cart track, which ascends parallel to the road. The cart track quickly levels out and returns to the road at an older house. From the house, we ascend to a smaller saddle, then at two consecutive junctions continue left. Further on, we ascend along a steeper forest path, which higher joins the cart track, which then completely levels out and brings us from the forest to a larger grassy clearing. Here the path turns somewhat to the left and returns into the forest, through which it then occasionally ascends more steeply again. Higher, we also ascend over a grassy hay meadow and the path brings us to a macadam road, where we join the other path from Rimske Toplice (starting point Tuš store and Rimske terme).
We continue along the gentle road, along which we walk to the homestead Pri Izeri. At the homestead, the road becomes asphalt, and we walk along it only a few meters, then the sign on the tree "koča" directs us left into the forest. Further, we ascend briefly through the forest, then join the path from the villages Marno and Turje. From the junction onwards, we step out of the forest, and the gentle path, which continues across a larger meadow, brings us to the Koča na Kopitniku in a few minutes.
From the Koča na Kopitniku, we continue left, first even slightly downhill, then the trail becomes more distinct and starts to ascend. After a short ascent, we step onto the road and follow it left. The path further leads us past the forestry hut, behind which the path from Zidani Most joins us from the right. Here we continue straight, and then at the next junction slightly left in the direction of the summit. The path continues in a gentle ascent through the forest, then descends for a few meters. A short ascent follows, and the path brings us to the ridge, where the path from Lukovško sedlo (starting point Rimske Toplice) also joins us.
Here we continue right onto a narrow and partly precipitous ridge, along which we continue the path. Since the path further on is sufficiently wide and on exposed spots also secured with a steel cable, the ascent to the summit of Kopitnik in snowless conditions does not present major difficulties.

On the way: Lurd (300m), Koča na Kopitniku (865m)